People hold masks on a street in Seoul on Sept. 26, as the government lifted the outdoor mask mandate. (Yonhap)

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the second consecutive day Friday, as the virus wave has subsided in recent weeks.

The country reported 23,583 new COVID-19 infections, including 60 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,076,239, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Friday's count marked a fall from the previous day's 26,957. The comparable figure for a week earlier came to 22,289.

The country has seen a gradual downtrend in new infections after peaking at over 180,000 cases per day in mid-August.

The KDCA added 35 deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the death toll to 28,783.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 237, down by 29 from the previous day.

In line with the waning virus wave, the government has eased antivirus restrictions, including lifting all outdoor mask mandates and the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing requirement for inbound travelers.

But the authorities have warned of a possible outbreak of a "twindemic" of COVID-19 and the seasonal influenza this winter and moved to better protect vulnerable groups.

"We've seen a downtrend despite eased quarantine rules. The government will thoroughly prepare for a possible virus wave in winter," disaster management center official Kim Sung-ho said. (Yonhap)